# Wilkes, North Carolina — #1,101 of 3,144 counties

> Liberty Moving composite score 6.54 of 10. FIPS 37193. Population 66,013. v4 — beta, 30 October 2026, sourced values.

About 66,000 people live in Wilkes, North Carolina. It ranks #1,101 of 3,144 counties for liberty, and #30 of 100 in North Carolina. The combined sales tax is 7%, higher than in 56% of counties. Property tax takes about 0.57% of a home's value each year, less than in 69% of counties. Local government employs a smaller share of working residents than in 77% of counties. The homicide rate is higher than in 73% of counties. Life expectancy is about 73.5 years, shorter than in 71% of counties. Air quality is better than in 58% of counties (a typical day's air quality index is 40), and flood and hurricane risk is higher than in 84% of counties. On this site's state scores, North Carolina gets 7.59 of 10 for economic freedom, based on the Fraser Institute's ranking, and 10 of 10 for gun rights.

## Scores

| Factor | Level | Score (0–10) | Flag |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fraser Institute state ranking | state | 7.59 |  |
| 2A | state | 10.00 |  |
| Air quality | county | 6.05 |  |
| GOP + LP vote for President | county | 7.96 |  |
| Homicide rate | county | 7.18 |  |
| Sales tax | county | 3.64 |  |
| Property tax | county | 7.15 |  |
| Floods / hurricanes | county | 1.03 |  |
| Life expectancy | county | 3.50 |  |
| Government employees | county | 7.71 |  |
| Single-parent households | county | 4.34 |  |

"est" marks a derived or placeholder value with no published county figure.

## Neighbors

- #1316 Alexander, North Carolina — https://libertymoving.org/counties/37003.md
- #457 Ashe, North Carolina — https://libertymoving.org/counties/37009.md
- #595 Alleghany, North Carolina — https://libertymoving.org/counties/37005.md
- #759 Yadkin, North Carolina — https://libertymoving.org/counties/37197.md
- #347 Watauga, North Carolina — https://libertymoving.org/counties/37189.md
- #758 Iredell, North Carolina — https://libertymoving.org/counties/37097.md
- #1311 Caldwell, North Carolina — https://libertymoving.org/counties/37027.md
- #1261 Surry, North Carolina — https://libertymoving.org/counties/37171.md

## Links

- Page: https://libertymoving.org/counties/37193
- Compare: https://libertymoving.org/compare?a=37193
- Methodology: https://libertymoving.org/methodology
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